Guthrie

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Update 10/14/10:

Guthrie is a stand-out among the great dogs passing through MAESSR’s foster homes every year. He recently bowled over his exceedingly Springer-savvy foster mom in a way she really needed to tell.

Guthrie’s foster mom has owned Springers for over 25 years. When Guthrie came to MAESSR and met her, he was emaciated, abandoned, and neglected. He turned out to be the smartest Springer she has known. Guthrie passed all of the normal tests: towel over his head, hide the bone under a blanket, three cups upside down to see if the dog can find the treat under one of them, etc., but there was more to come.

Guthrie has a magic ball that supplies food if you play with it. No problem for him; he mastered that immediately. One night the ball rolled onto a heat vent and several of the precious kibbles fell into the vent. Guthrie immediately had this cock-eyed look. You know that look, where the head is at an odd angle and the dog is really thinking about what happened. Guthrie looked down the vent, picked up the ball in his mouth, removed it from the vent, and put it back on the rug to continue play. His foster mom had never seen him pick up the ball before. She was speechless and knew Guthrie had taken canine problem-solving to a new level.

When his foster mom tells people that she works with rescue dogs, an all-too-common comment is “Oh, they are vicious, dumb, or not well-behaved.”  Guthrie, the wonder dog, and countless others like him in rescue, demonstrate continuously how flawed that misconception can be.

Way to go, Guthrie!!

Original:

When his owner remarried, Guthrie suddenly had 2 young children in his family, ages 4 and 7. This change in living situation became very stressful for Guthrie, especially when the children became too boisterous or teased him. His owner realized that Guthrie needed a new home– quieter and less stressful– that would have time to devote to him. So, Guthrie was relinquished to MAESSR.

After his transport from Pennsylvania to his foster home in Maryland, Guthrie went to the groomer where he did very well with all of the dogs of all shapes and sizes who were also at the doggie spa. Next, he was off to the vet to get up-to-date on his vaccinations. The vet found no health issues except that Guthrie arrived very, very thin at only 38 pounds. Efforts continue to help him gain some much needed weight. Guthrie was quite the trooper while everyone prodded, poked and examined him at the vet’s office.

Besides having a wonderful disposition and being a handsome boy, Guthrie is very energetic and playful, yet also gentle and sweet! His personality is starting to blossom as he gets more comfortable in his foster home. His foster family has been impressed by Guthrie’s acrobatics when he sees his food bowl. Then he jumps in the air with a full pirouette!

This smart boy immediately mastered the secrets of the “magic ball” toy that delivers food if you play with it. He loves to play with a ball or other toys but tends to want to play “chase me to get it.” Although limited in his knowledge of commands, Guthrie is reliable when asked to “come” and he will “sit.” Leash manners are a work in progress, but he has improved with the use of a harness. In the yard, he will chase squirrels, birds, and rabbits with typical Springer gusto.

Early in his stay in his foster home, Guthrie tended to counter-surf, but with the additional food he is receiving, his tendency to scope out the countertops is decreasing. He responds immediately when corrected. Both housetrained and crate trained, Guthrie has not had any accidents in the house. He likes to jump on the furniture but responds immediately when told, “Off.” Car rides are something that Guthrie loves and he rides very well. One quirk with Guthrie is that he is terrified of a broom.

Guthrie is the only pet in his foster home, but he has met several other dogs in the neighborhood with no issues and he walks regularly with them. He is somewhat timid when meeting new people, but he did very well when attending a company picnic and a fall festival. At both events, he was a complete gentleman and very gracious allowing everyone to pet him from children as young as two to the elderly as old as ninety.

This precious boy would be a wonderful addition to any household that is interested in a terrific “wiggle butt” who is filled with love to share.